On this day in Yorkshire 1940

David Clay

Two Danes who arrived in Bridlington tonight, after escaping from Denmark in a 20-foot-long open boat, had been six days on the voyage. They were not seamen, and it is believed they had no chart.

In the boat were gallons of oil. Both men, who were about 40 years of age, wore leather golf-Jackets. One spoke English well.

Onion Scarcity

The opinion expressed Leeds wholesaler yesterday was that unless the authorities are able to open up fresh sources of supply there will not be any onions for some time.

Some onions might get through from Spain and — though this was no more than talk — from Chile.

The Ministry of Food announced recently that the maximum retail price of onions is to be 4 and a half pence a pound in the near future, and added that under the order, which will apply both home-grown and imported supplies, maximum prices will be fixed as follows: —On a sale in the first instance 25s. a cwt.; on the sale by wholesale 30s 4d. a cwt.

The Leeds wholesaler said: “There are no onions to speak of the market today, and my man in Lincolnshire writes to tell me that he does not know where he can get hold any.”

Before the war onions came to Leeds markets from many European countries, mainly Holland and Spain, and from Egypt. The general price was roundabout 3s. 5d. a bag of half a cwt.

In recent times onions have been sold 42s a half cwt. The wholesaler said that the last consignment of onions received were from Lincolnshire.

He paid £78 a ton for them, and carriage cost 7 and a half d. for each half cwt. bag.